


the other side

by Argentina



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Canon Universe, Drabble, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ficlet, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Wordcount: 100-1.000, Wordcount: 100-500, the season 3 finale is just depressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argentina/pseuds/Argentina
Summary: Eren stares out at the horizon, experienced eyes set on the point where the seemingly endless ocean meets with the even more infinite sky. The colors blend into one, and he’s not even looking at what’s there anymore. All he sees is the past, memories of events and things that were never his to go through.
Relationships: Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	the other side

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in my ap psych class and wrapped it up during lunch  
> just needed a bit of a fix-it?

There was a time where Jean would’ve made fun of Eren for being so pessimistic. There was a time where he would’ve made fun of him for anything, really, and it wasn’t even that long ago. So much has changed in only a few months, just shy of a full year, and they’re both very different people. Time shapes and carves pieces out of them, making them into new individuals. They’re not the same as when they started, and they never will be.

Eren stares out at the horizon, experienced eyes set on the point where the seemingly endless ocean meets with the even more infinite sky. The colors blend into one, and he’s not even looking at what’s there anymore. All he sees is the past, memories of events and things that were never his to go through. 

He’s distantly aware of commotion and exclaims around him. The sound of Armin and Mikasa laughing amongst each other. Levi telling Hange not to touch something on the shore. It’s all fuzzy and distant; his mind is too cloudy to make out the specifics. 

Jean steps up and stands right beside him, hands in his pockets. Both of them are standing calf-deep in the salty water (which Jean somehow got in his eye a few minutes ago, and he can still feel the burn of it slightly). 

“Hey,” Jean says, tilting his head to the side to take a good look at Eren’s profile. 

Eren presses his lips into a thin line, not looking over. 

“You know, life doesn’t need to be all about fighting. You deserve to be able to let your guard down, even if it’s just for a little while.”

“I can’t, Jean.”

“Why not? Because of who you are? You deserve to live fully just like the rest of us, Eren,” Jean tells him, kicking at the water. 

It’s not fair. He didn’t do anything to deserve this... but then again, nobody standing there at the moment deserved any of the losses they have had to endure or the lifestyles they were born into. It’s a cruel world.

Eren simply shakes his head. “I can’t.” 

Jean sighs. They’ve still got a long way to go, but... it doesn’t need to affect them right now. Maybe soon, maybe later, but he wants Eren to have this moment after all they’ve been through.

“Come on.”

Eren frowns as Jean’s hand encloses around his wrist, pulling him backwards, towards where all the others are.

“Whether there be enemies on the other side or not, this is still our first time seeing the sea, right?”

Eren contemplates this. It is all he’s been reading about since he, Armin, and Mikasa were children, after all. 

“I suppose.”

Jean smiles. “You haven’t even seen the seashells. Let’s go.”


End file.
